Masih and sons

MISSISSAUGA — A murder-suicide that claimed the lives of two Mississauga boys and their father is being reviewed by an expert committee within the coroner's office and could become the subject of a coroner's inquest.
The OPP continue to keep the causes of death secret after the charred bodies of Samuel Masih, and his two boys, Tyrese Sutherland, 10, and Shantosh, 4, were found in the family's burnt-out vehicle near Barrie on July 4.
The Office of the Chief Coroner is reviewing the case because of the family's involvement with the Peel Children's Aid Society prior to the three deaths.
The older boy was adopted by Masih and his wife, Brintha Shanmugalingam, this past spring.
Sutherland had lived with the family for years as a foster child, but the private foster care agency that placed him said its visits ended in March, when his adoption was finalized by the Peel Children's Aid Society.
All cases where a deceased child had an open file with a Children’s Aid Society (CAS) at the time of death, or within 12 months prior to death, are reviewed by The Paediatric Death Review Committee, a special committee within the coroner's office.
After that, the coroner can consider an inquest.
Cheryl Mahyr, issues manager with Ontario's Office of the Chief Coroner, couldn't speak to this specific case, but said, generally, the coroner must consider whether holding an inquest would serve the public interest and, citing the Coroner's Act, consider "the likelihood that the jury on an inquest might make useful recommendations directed to the avoidance of death in similar circumstances."
The Peel CAS, which has jurisdiction for the Mississauga home where Tyrese lived, would not discuss either Tyrese or Masih.
Police believe Samuel Masih killed his kids and then himself.
Pat Convery, executive director of the Adoption Council of Ontario, had no information about Tyrese, but said she can't recall a case where a death happened so quickly after placement.
"Everybody, I'm sure, is looking at this," she said. "They're looking for anything missed. Is there something that should have been seen before this child was placed for adoption?"
Convery said that, based on what she's seen before, if Tyrese had died while in foster care the case would be almost guaranteed to trigger an inquest.
"But even if he's been with the family (for years), you want a review," she said. "The field would want it, the adoption field. You want to know what happened."
Tyrese began his foster care with Masih and Shanmugalingam while they were living in Trout Creek, a village 50 kilometres south of North Bay. They had purchased a house there in 2006.
"I did meet both (Masih) and his wife when they were first thinking about starting to be foster parents," said Bob Connor, executive director of Connor Homes, the foster agency. "We thought they would make excellent foster parents, and they were."
Connor said his agency uses the same foster-home assessment program that each CAS in the province does, and that supervisors check in with families weekly by phone and monthly in person.
After he heard Masih and the boys had been found dead, Connor said he reviewed the meeting notes his staff took with the family until the foster care situation ended.
"There was nothing remarkable in them," he said.
The couple had even flown Tyrese to Australia in the past year at their own expense so he could see a specialist about his eczema.
Peel police have said they hadn't been called to the house prior to the missing persons report.
Neighbours of the family expressed shock and sadness when hearing the news.
"What a tragedy. What an injustice," said a distraught Sandra Dabeedeen, whose son played soccer with Tyrese. "I can't believe it."
Police aren't saying how Masih and his two boys died, in order to protect the integrity of the ongoing investigation.
Both Peel Regional Police and OPP officers are looking into the family's history for clues.
Neighbours said Masih and his wife appeared set to divorce when he disappeared with the children.
OPP Sgt. Peter Leon said he wouldn't comment on private matters but said investigators will be looking into "all aspects of their family life."
A neighbour, who spoke with The News but only wanted to be identified as Brandon, said Masih and his wife, who moved here from northern Ontario in 2008, were having marital problems and Masih told him earlier this spring the couple were headed for divorce.
"He said it was going to be hard on the kids, but that he was hoping everything would be ok," he said.
Other neighbours have attested to the marital problems the couple were having.
Masih and his two young boys were reported missing early July 4 by Masih's wife when they failed to return to the family home on Riel Dr., in the area of Burnhamthorpe Rd. and Confederation Pkwy.
Shanmugalingam called police from the family home at 1:30 a.m. to say her husband and children were going to a movie at 4 p.m. the day before but hadn’t been seen since.- with files from Torstar